AuthorTopic: guitar mics (Read 34816 times)

I decided to reply here instead of starting a new topic, because I thought the suggestions made were interesting enough to continue with.Of the limited number microphones that I own, and have used at some point for electric guitar, two of them are no longer made. Which of course makes it sort of pointless to suggest them to anyone.I mention them only to gain some perspective and knowledge on the subject. One of the discontinued mic's happens to be an older German omnidirectional. Sticking it in front of a guitar cabinet yields results that differ greatly from the standard 57's, and other mics I have tried. Less proximity effect, and the ability to mix the drivers by mic placement. I was just wondering if anyone regularly or has used omni mic's in this capacity? The other is a Beyer M500. Beyer has recently introduced a model that looks like an update to the discontinued M500, a mic that has also been used with nice results on electric guitar. I was just wondering if anyone has experience with the new version?olduncledinogiammattei

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I'd trade everything I own now for a good sounding room and a bucket of 57's.

Having recorded electric guitar amps for the last 43 years, I've found a formula that works well for me.

I stopped shoving mics right up onto the speaker cones about 20 years ago. As a player you figure out that the sound picked up by a very close mic is not what you hear when you play, it's just a partial.

Stick your ear there and if you can take it you only hear that partial off the cone, not at all what the "whole" sound is when you mic it back one or two feet. Then all the cone's partials mix in the air to create what we players call, "our tone".

Even live I would push the 57 back about one foot off the cab.

These days (the last 20+ years) I use a condenser mic for amp recording. One of my fav's is a rebuilt $39 MCA SP-1 fitted with a $99 Chi-com C-12 capsule, when I use that and place it correctly, I never use any EQ.

I did initially try a more distant placement, but the cardioid proximity effect compensation caused too much low-frequency drop off and the sound we wanted came from stuffing the mic right into the cabinet.

A little EQ fixes that. You can dial up the bass on the amp a bit. Or use a closed back cab. Or use a mic with a decent low end response. Most of the time that proximity effect just muddies up the low end. Most players hate that. I do.

My condensers have much more proximity effect than a SM57. Another reason to back them off a foot or so. 57's are a filter, one I prefer to avoid, it makes amps sound small to me.

The Shure dynamics always will find favor on guitar amp reproduction. I did a metal band recording recently where I had an SM57 on the front grille of a 4x12 Marshall cab pointed off axis of the center of the speaker. I also had a Rode NT5 39" back from the cab (aimed at the center logo) and on the back of the closed back cab I listened while the guitarist played and found a nice spot where I aimed a polarity reversed AKG D112 to add some low frequencies to the sound.

The D112 printed much lower in output (as to be expected) but added some thump to the overall guitar sound.

I'd agree with this. The 421-II got changed in more ways than one and do not sound the same under a microscope. Sennheiser re-engineered the new mic to a price point and none of the old parts are interchangeable with the new ones. Even the clips are different. Still, on guitar cab by themselves they lack body for me. This is why a 57 does such a good job filling in the remaining 421 hole.

I second the Coles, (I could never get excited about the Royer 121 though alot of guys get great tones with it), but they come at a real price. For cheapo dynamic mics the D19 and the RE20 are available, obtainable, and affordable. I have played with the Cathedral Pipes FET mic and it's a good LDC alternative to the Neumann/AKG line. For the cost no object user though it's a 67 to me (a 47 is even better if you're willing to put it in harms way).

RE: Speakers, I never liked the GT75's. Too brittle and harsh but the Greenbacks I stole from my AC30 reissue work like butter on alot of things.